


hot summer's icy pool

by aiviloti



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Getting Together, I love Kuroken can you tell, KuroKen Week 2020, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23735533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aiviloti/pseuds/aiviloti
Summary: The thing with falling for someone was that, it was like jumping into an icy pool of water on a hot summer’s day, first a bit, then another bit, then all at once.In the same way you would dip your toe, testing the waters, then gradually one foot. Maybe soon enough, you’d think this was crazy, you’re crazy, what’s stopping you? And then you empty your thoughts, you jump, and let the freezing water cover you, push into the spaces between your hair.
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 12
Kudos: 102
Collections: Kuroken Week 2020





	hot summer's icy pool

The thing with falling for someone was that, it was like jumping into an icy pool of water on a hot summer’s day, first a bit, then another bit, then all at once.

In the same way you would dip your toe, testing the waters, then gradually one foot. Maybe soon enough, you’d think this was crazy, you’re crazy, what’s stopping you? And then you empty your thoughts, you jump, and let the freezing water cover you, push into the spaces between your hair.

* * *

Falling for Kenma, Kuroo realises, feels like jumping into an icy pool of water on a hot summer’s day.

The realisation begins by seeing Kenma tilt his head just a little, looking at Kuroo with that half smile of his that tugs at Kuroo’s heart, a smile that Kuroo had long grown to associate with that small TV that Kenma played video games on, replaced my recordings of volleyball matches in Kuroo’s presence, the smell of freshly washed bed sheets, in the same comforting smell that reminded Kuroo of sweet and warm things in life, like apple pie and fluffy pomeranians.

***

Each time Kenma smiles like that, Kuroo dips a toe in this pool of water where he can’t see the depth, but a tempting escape from the heat and everything else that was relentlessly loud and overwhelming.

The realisation deepens, when Kuroo sees how the plans and strategies click themselves into place in Kenma’s head, as the intricate ideas begin to spin as gears, and the idea flows and runs without hitches, as beautiful and precise as clockwork. It’s barely noticeable, the feeling of feeling safe and lighter around someone, knowing that you never had to worry if they were around. But yet, maybe that just goes to show how good Kenma was at what he did, Kuroo thinks, of making sure everything clicks into place, making sure things run on and on, and Kuroo was getting addicted to this particular brand of security,  _ Kenma’s _ particular brand of security.

It tempts him just enough, after the first cool sensation of cold against the summer wind, and he submerges both feet into the water, up to his ankles.

***

“We're like the blood in our veins. We must flow without stopping,” Kuroo says, holding out his fist midair as the rest of his teammates slowly hold theirs out, completing the circle. “Keep the oxygen moving and your mind working.” 

It’s funny, how jittery he’s feeling, considering this was only a practice match against Karasuno, a team’s name he only knew by name until this first encounter, but he can’t help but feel it has something to do with that unusual glow of what Kuroo can best read as excitement in Kenma’s eyes, wildly contrasting from his usual passiveness. 

The sound of a whistle goes off, and Kuroo forgets to breathe as time starts to slow, stretch, then to still. Kuroo tries to not watch Kenma standing in the server’s spot, two places away from him. Like everything else, Kenma serves in the same way he takes everything, with that same scary dosage of accuracy and precision. He takes exactly one and a half second before his palm hits the ball, sending it flying into the air. Kuroo watches the precise movement of the trail of the ball, and it’s only when number 3 of Karasuno’s team receives the ball cleanly, promptly halting the graceful arc, does he breathe again.

They play the rest of the match in the same way they had always played, connecting, connecting, connecting. Kuroo sinks in the game, properly this time, making a point of focusing on the opponents in front of him, on this ball he had lived most of his life chasing.

He’s so focused that he doesn’t realise that the pool of water has reached his knees.

***

“Why do you keep saying that?” Kenma asks one evening, passing the volleyball to Kuroo, a routine that had long replaced their days of sitting in front of a TV with consoles in their hands.

“Say what?”

“That ‘we are like blood in our veins’ thing.” The ball flies into Kuroo’s hands and he catches it with one graceful, practiced movement.

“Why not?” Kuroo asks, tossing the ball back. “It’s true, isn’t it? As long as we flow and flow, we keep connecting and connecting, the blood flows, and the oxygen will reach the brain, where it’s needed the most.” Kuroo watches as Kenma catches the ball. “The brain.”

“Sounds poetic and all, captain, but you can’t deny it’s embarrassing and cheesy.”

Kuroo laughs, as they continue to pass the ball back and forth. “As long as the oxygen reaches the brain, as long as the ball reaches you, we’re undefeated, is that not so? Aren’t your plans and strategies the only things holding us all together, making our big team of so many people function in sync and go forward, connecting the limbs to properly function as the whole body?” Kuroo hits the ball harder this time, the sound of skin on leather rings, and the ball flies over to Kenma.

“That’s not true,” Kenma says. He dodges instead of trying to catch it, and they watch it fly across the lawn, gradually stopping after its initial momentum in a few bounces. “You keep over glorifying all these things when I’m just telling things as they are, telling things as I see them.”

“Good thing your eyesight is better than the rest of us, then,” Kuroo says, and he watches Kenma’s lips curve into a smile.

The water is at Kuroo’s waist now, but Kuroo isn’t sure if the water level is rising, or if the heat has gotten better of him as he wades in, deep, deep, deeper.

***

The three Nekoma High third years are on their way to the unofficial Nekoma High volleyball club graduation party, when a confused Kuroo is forcefully dragged into an empty classroom on the way to the gym by his friends, wearing mirroring solemn expressions. 

They pull out a chair for Kuroo, who still had no idea what was going on, giving the chair a pat, indicating that’s where he should sit, a serious expression on their faces that Kuroo only ever saw during matches. It was unnerving him.

“What do you want?” he asks cautiously, eyes narrowed as he looks between his two friends.

Yaku clears his throat, before ominously asking, “What are you going to do about all of this?”

“What am I going to do about what? The inevitable result of Nekoma losing such an incredible captain after we graduate?” Kuroo is taken aback by the sudden question, but he smirks.

“Cut it out,” Kai says, in the same gentle and earnest approach he has been using all these years, one that has yet to fail him when it comes to Kuroo. “What are you going to do about Kenma and your feelings for him?”

Kuroo’s face falls, but he manages to keep his tone lighthearted. “What am I going to do about what?” He laughs halfheartedly. “What’s with this sudden concern for my love life after we three spent three years never talking about this exact topic? Why the fuss now?”

“You are insufferable,” Yaku says, and he doesn’t laugh. “You have been moping since we lost that last match, and we both thought it was because of not getting further in the nationals, but you’re just moping because you don’t get to play together and practice on the same team with Kenma any more, aren’t you?” He jabs a finger in Kuroo’s chest, continuing dryly. “We’re graduating in two days, do you wanna keep moping about a boy for the rest of your days?”

For someone so noisy and loud as Kuroo, someone who never spared chances to mock and tease other people, he was silent, struggling to find words to string together. The silence was only broken when Kai gestured at Yaku, adding, “What he said.”

“Why am I being ganged up on,” Kuroo groans. “I have known the guy for a decade, what am I supposed to do, just go up and say ‘Hey, Kozuke Kenma, I think I’m in love with you. You know what’s funny? I think falling for you is kinda like jumping into a pool of icy water on a hot summer's day, first a dip, and then an accidental trip into the entire pool, so now I’m drenching wet from this pool of icy water under the sun, and oh man, would you go out with me?’ Is that what I’m supposed to say?” Kuroo laughs, but he chokes mid sentence, and he turns the laugh into a cough.

He stops laughing when a voice, a familiar one says from outside the classroom door, “Say that again?”

Being the only one sitting in the direction facing the door, Kuroo reacts fast, grinning his trademark grin at Kenma who appeared out of nowhere, but inside he feels his heart sink, he feels himself sink in this pool of icy water that was now the furthest possible thing away from a refuge.

Kuroo wants to run, but he’s glued onto this stupid chair, stuck in this stupid confrontation his friends put him through, and the realisation that he may have just confessed to the love of his life unintentionally feels like someone just doused him with icy water. 

_ Fuck _ , Kuroo thinks.

“Say what again?” He tries innocently, as he prays,  _ oh please, don’t let this nonchalant smile that I have practiced for years betray my feelings and emotion now _ , but as Kenma’s eyes (beautiful, if he may add) scan his, not showing a trace of emotion, Kuroo realises how dumb people are to dive into pools when they don’t know how deep they can be, with no fear for sinking.

So he gives up the pretense, because what’s the point, anyway.

“Hey, Kozume Kenma, I think I’m in love with you,” Kuroo says again, but it’s easy because he means every word of it. It’s easy because it’s been Kenma all while, and it’s always been Kenma, the easiest person to be around in the entire universe. “You know what’s funny? I think falling for you is kinda like jumping into a pool of icy water on a hot summer's day, first a dip, and then an accidental trip into the entire pool, so now I’m drenching wet from this pool of icy water under the sun, and oh man, would you go out with me?”

“Di-did you rehearse that? It was the exact sa-” Yaku blurts out in surprise, and Kai kicks him, as gently and earnestly as always.

Kenma doesn’t flinch. “Yes,” he says, and he puts his headphones on again. “C’mon, we’ll be late to your graduation party.”

_ What the actual fuck _ , Kuroo thinks.

“That’s it? That’s so underwhelmi-,” Yaku protests, but he yelps all of a sudden, and sobers down. For what reason, Kuroo doesn’t know, he’s too busy gaping at Kenma.

“That’s it?” He asks. “I just laid my heart bare and you’re concerned about us being late?”

Kenma smiles at Kuroo and Kuroo feels like he’s seeing Kenma smile for the first time in his life, although he knows he’s seen it over and over, and it was this smile that Kuroo first fell in love for, anyway. He lets Kenma take his hand as he is led to the gym, and he doesn’t question why Kenma doesn’t let go even then.

“You know I always say yes if it’s you asking, Kuroo.”

Kuroo’s fully in the pool now, as the realisation hits him, but he can breathe, plus he gets to stay refreshed under this hot summer sun, though no longer as unforgiving.

* * *

“Kodzuken! We’re so honoured to be able to get an interview with you!”

“Cool, yeah,” Kenma smiles at the camera, but you wouldn’t have noticed he was fidgeting a little if you weren’t watching closely enough.

“Now I’m going to read out our most popular questions submitted by fans for you. It’s been rumoured you’ve been seeing a high school sweetheart all this while, so our first question is, what was falling in love like for you?”

Kenma muses, years of practice before the camera eliminating not all, but most of the awkwardness of talking to big crowds.

Slowly, he says, “It’s like jumping into an icy pool of water on a hot summer’s day, if you know what I mean? It’s so tempting, because the solution to save you from this heat is right there, but you’re scared. So a bit first, then all at once.”

He pauses, taking the time to inhale, and exhale slowly.

“It’s colder than you expect, but it’s the only thing that makes you feel alive under this disgustingly hot weather, it’s comfortable and it’s not at the same time, and it wakes you up, giving you the refreshed feeling of being able to take the world on again.” 

**Author's Note:**

> For the last day's prompt of Kuroken Week, prompt, realisation. The further I got with this, the less I knew what I was doing anymore, so if this calls out to you maybe you'll call out to me too?
> 
> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/aiviloti)


End file.
